“When we went through this process, we went into it open-minded,” said Terry Pegula. “We interviewed some bright, young coaches and some veteran coaches and Doug and Russ obviously had been through this before a few years ago. Like I said, when we meet the right guy, you’ll know it. When we finally talked to Rex and looked at that staff that he put together, I really don’t think that the Buffalo Bills at 9-7, and I really believe two plays away from possibly being 11-5, needed to have a young coach standing in their locker room.

“I thought we needed to go to somebody who’d done it before and if you look at the record of almost every coach like Rex just mentioned it, new coaches fail generally in their first job and I’m not saying that all the new coaches that are going to get hired are going to fail, but it’s more happening in that direction than it is for them to be successful.

“We just felt that he was our guy and trust me, we had some pretty impressive people that we felt could the Bills coach, but we said, ‘Hey, let’s go after Rex.’ Russ told me, ‘Don’t let him out of the building.'”

The Bills front office structure has undergone some change since the Pegulas came on board as the owners of the club. Now with Rex Ryan as head coach, Terry Pegula laid out how the flow of information will proceed between himself, his wife Kim and the highest ranking officials in the organization.

“Rex (Ryan), Russ (Brandon), and Doug (Whaley) will report to Kim and myself and that’s the way we’re going to have it moving forward,” said Pegula. “I believe in everyone…I think I’ve said this in the past: my style of business is that no one should be afraid to say anything so we will welcome input from anybody; the coach, the GM, the President, myself, Kim and that’s how we’re going to move forward. You should never be afraid to say anything. I don’t care if it’s sports or other business.”

Team President Russ Brandon further expounded on the duties and responsibilities held by the top three ranking executives under the Pegulas.

“When it comes to the 53 (man roster) and player personnel, that’s under the purview of Doug Whaley,” said Brandon. “The game-day roster and the coaching staff is obviously Coach Ryan and I will have business ops and administration ops and football administration budgets. But as Terry said earlier and as Coach said, it’s not only one direction, it’s one mindset and we’ll be in lock-step in everything that we do as an organization.”

He made comments earlier this week at the Monday QB club luncheon, and on Wednesday morning Bills team president Russ Brandon reiterated his conviction that head coach Doug Marrone has effectively changed the culture of the team.

“Culture is a major thing and holding each other accountable and coach Marrone has done an incredible job over this past year,” said Brandon on the Howard Simon show Wednesday morning. “I think you need to look and reflect on some of the things that happened over this past year, which are major game changers.

“We had the death of an owner in March, a team in transition for the entire year from an ownership standpoint. We also, which gets lost in the shuffle, we had a major renovation of the stadium and our team was displaced for four months in OTAs and minicamps. We had a prolonged training camp because of the renovations. We had the sale of the franchise during the season, which is unprecedented, and we had a historic snowstorm where the team was displaced.

“Coach Marrone has done an unbelievable job of leading this franchise, keeping everyone together and holding people accountable. To be in the position we are today is a credit to him.”

Bills team President Russ Brandon provided an update on where things stand with respect to the state of Ralph Wilson Stadium’s readiness to host next Sunday’s home game against the Cleveland Browns in the wake of the nearly six feet of snow that was dropped in Orchard Park last week.

“On an hourly basis we’re in communication with our stadium operations staff back at One Bills Drive through (VP of Stadium Operations) Andy Major, who is doing an outstanding job in charge back there,” said Brandon. “With the heat wave that we had today and over the last two days having 500 shovelers in the building we’ve made great progress. And all indications are that we are 100 percent ready to roll back at Ralph Wilson Stadium, have a good week of practice and get ready for the Browns. None of the reports that I have would lead us to think otherwise.”

Bills players know what their fans have been dealing with in Western New York. They dealt with it personally right along with them before flying out to Detroit to get ready for tonight’s game against the Jets at Ford Field. So when asked if they’re playing all the more for their Buffalo faithful, the answer was a resounding yes.

“The city is on our back,” said Marcell Dareus. “We were the lucky ones to get out to still shine light on such a gloomy situation. So we’re going to try our best to bring it home for the home team.”

“Anytime you’ve got a city going through the type of turmoil we’ve gone through you want to go out and give them something to hang their hat on,” said Fred Jackson. “We definitely want to go out and play for them. We definitely want to try to get this win, not only for ourselves but for everybody watching back home in anticipation.”

“We’ve talked about that as an organization and as a team,” said Bills team President Russ Brandon. “With what our community is going through right now we look at it as a three hour opportunity to take people’s mind off what is in front of them. And what they’ve been through and provide them Buffalo Bills football and hopefully it’ll be a great outcome for them, our fans and we expect to represent the Buffalo region and community in the appropriate manner.”

Bills team President Russ Brandon provided an update on the state of planning for next week’s home game against the Browns and whether they will conduct their normal practice schedule in what will be another shortened week.

With Buffalo playing Monday night in Detroit, they’ll have one less day to prepare for the Browns, making it the third week their practice planning has been compressed. At this point in time however, it doesn’t appear as though they’ll need to incorporate travel into their practice schedule.

“It’s an hour by hour process,” said Brandon. “We’ll evaluate it as we go through it on Monday and see how the facility responds on Tuesday. We’ll probably have to make some decisions by then. Knock on wood so far everything is positive. We look forward to getting back to work at the AdPro Sports center on Tuesday and hopefully playing on Sunday. If everything goes as it has gone over the last 12 hours or so we don’t anticipate doing everything differently.”

Brandon said there is no indication that the practice facility was in a state that would prevent them from practicing at One Bills Drive.

The operations staff at One Bills Drive is hard at work clearing the snow from the stadium and surrounding campus as they work to get the facility ready for the Bills’ next home game at Ralph Wilson stadium in eight days against the Browns. At this point, Bills team President Russ Brandon says the plan to play at home next week is still in place.

“I’ve had reports throughout the course of the day. So far everything is progressing nicely,” said Brandon Saturday evening. “We haven’t had any speed bumps come along that we weren’t anticipating at this point. So our plan is to play on Monday, get on a plane, go back to Buffalo, start preparing on the short week for the Browns and hopefully play at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday.

“That’s our plan. We’ll always make contingency plans based on some unforeseen things that may or may not come up. But all the reports back from Andy Major and the operations staff is full go right now in trying to dig out and everyone is mobilized back at the stadium and working on that as we speak.”

Bills President Russ Brandon made his weekly appearance on flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550 and was asked about working in collaboration with new owners Kim and Terry Pegula moving forward. He was also asked about his take on what caters to team success over the long haul and reiterated some of his comments from when he was handed day-to-day control of the team back in 2013.

“Obviously with owners like Terry and Kim it can only be a major positive not only for our brand, but also in NFL circles. What they’ve done with the Sabres and the profile that they’ve added has been tremendous. We’ll look to add that here also,” said Brandon. “One of the ways you don’t in this league is since 1998 we’ve had seven head coaches, nine offensive coordinators, seven defensive coordinators and six general managers. That is not a formula for winning. Continuity is the number one variable when it comes to winning in this league and we need to have that as we move forward.”

When asked if he’s made that known to Pegulas, Brandon indicated he has been very transparent in communicating that stance.

“I’ve been very open about that,” he said. “I’ve said it many times publicly and privately. We’ve been to two playoffs games since 1998. We’ve had too many different schemes and coaches and you’re not going to win in this league by changing every couple of years. That’s my belief and feeling. I’ve been very pleased with what’s happened here. We want to win more games, but if you look at our roster today and where it was a couple of years ago, Doug Whaley has done a very good job of building our roster to where it is today.”

“I did mention that after the Pegulas were approved as owners how important Ralph Wilson was to the league,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “How important he was to me personally. How much respect I had for his leadership, his ownership of the Bills and what he’s meant to Western New York. I’m confident that Terry and Kim are going to build on that legacy. They will take the Bills to another level and I think Mr. Wilson would be very proud of the outcome.”

Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon, who worked closely with Jeff Littmann and Mary Owen, who were serving as Trustees for the Wilson ownership, knew that it was a day that brought closure for them as they handed off ownership to the Pegulas.

“Certainly Jeff (Littmann) and Mary (Owen) were in there during the vote and it was an emotional scene for them,” said Brandon. “Commissioner Goodell mentioned the Wilson family, Ralph and Mary and what they’ve meant. The 53 years that Mr. Wilson gave to the National Football League and everything he’s meant to this league and to the people in that room. No one loved being in that room more than Ralph Wilson, and a great respect for the league and for the game of football. The reason we’re all standing here is what he built with a lot of other owners over many years.

“Jeff and Mary have been tremendous stewards of the Wilson family and great members of NFL membership. It was a nice moment when the Pegulas came in and knowing that for years to come we have Buffalo Bills to be focused on and that’s it.”

With so much positive news packed into one week for Bills fans, the 73-thousand plus at Ralph Wilson Stadium Sunday were just hoping the team would cap the week with a win. Doug Marrone’s men obliged taking a day when the man who founded the franchise was honored, and two of the team’s most famous alumni presented the late Hall of Fame owner’s wife, Mary Wilson, with an honorary Wall of Fame ring. That combined with the Pegula agreement to purchase the franchise and keep it in Western New York brought the week to a fitting conclusion.

“Sunday was a very emotional time,” said Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon. “Not only the tribute to Ralph and to honor Mary Wilson who has been a rock for all of us, and to see Jim (Kelly) and Thurman (Thomas) and all the guys out there. To be out there when Jim (Kelly) got up to the podium was pretty cool. I’ve seen this stadium rock a lot of times, but I’ve never felt it like that, it was awesome.”

When asked what Mr. Wilson might’ve thought of the performance Sunday, Brandon believed his former boss would’ve loved it.

“That’s Ralph’s kind of football,” Brandon said. “He would’ve loved it. He absolutely would’ve loved it. It’s been a tremendous week; it’s a great, great time to be a Buffalonian. Great credit to so many people, governor Cuomo and his staff, and our group and were working together. Football is the ultimate team game. The teamwork that went into making this all culminate to the sale this week, then to cap it off (with a win). It’s going to be a big party in this town (Sunday night) for sure.”

There was a lot for the players to concern themselves with heading into their season opener. On a larger level than just the game was the fact that it was first game for the team without their founder and owner Ralph Wilson, who passed away this past March. After their overtime victory however, Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon made sure Mr. Wilson’s widow Mary was properly honored.

Brandon presented Mrs. Wilson with a game ball in the locker room after the victory.

“Yeah that was huge to come here first and win against another team who has been in the NFL since the origin of the NFL,” said EJ Manuel. “I know Russ Brandon gave a game ball to Mrs. Wilson today and I know that was a very momentous time for her and Russ. So we’re very happy to get this ‘W’ for Mr. Wilson today.”

OTAs are coming up next week. In the meantime enjoy the holiday weekend and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Here now are your latest questions from email at AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter @ChrisBrownBills.

1 – Chris,

Thanks for all the great draft coverage! I personally loved the way the Bills really focused on beefing up the offensive line this year, in addition to the Watkins pick of course! It seems like some great picks at truly great value. I was wondering, if Seantrel Henderson pans out – and he has 1st round talent at LT, could he eventually start there, with Glenn moving to LG? Don’t get me wrong, Glenn is a really good LT, but I imagine a starting line of Henderson, Glenn, Wood, Richardson/Urbik, Kouandjio being among the most dominant lines in the entire league. Thoughts on this?

Thanks again,
Josh

CB: While you certainly have every reason to be optimistic I think you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself. I think all of the linemen drafted this year have talent, but it’s hard to project their immediate future until the pads go on in training camp. There are some proud veterans on this roster so the influx of young talent will ramp up the competition. Henderson most definitely has the skill set to play in the NFL. What he needs to demonstrate is consistency not only in his play, but in his commitment as a pro. Kouandjio might need a little time on the job before he’s challenging Erik Pears for a starting role and we’ll see what Richardson can do.

The picture you’re painting might be more realistic for 2015, and with the way Cordy Glenn played last year, I’m not sure he’ll be on the move even then if that level of play continues.

CB: I think you need to understand that the Bills organization was seeking one of the most renowned firms when it came to managing estates and trusts. Proskauer was named “Law Firm of the Year” for Litigation–Trusts & Estates in U.S. News-Best Lawyers 2014 “Best Law Firms,” the only firm to receive this prestigious designation in that category. So this is more of what led to the decision to retain them.

It just so happens that Proskauer Rose, which has a gigantic client base in their entertainment department, also has represented Bon Jovi. It’s not clear if they still do at this time. I would think that relationship no longer exists otherwise it could be construed as a conflict of interest.

3 – Hey Chris,
There has been a lot of varying reports trying to explain the compensation the Eagles will be receiving for the Bryce Brown trade. Most of those reports are very confusing to read and have people scratching their heads. Correct me if I’m wrong here, but didn’t we basically trade Stevie Johnson for Bryce Brown straight up?

Whatever we get for Stevie is what we give to Eagles?…right? Only exception to this line of thinking or simplification is if we end up getting a 3rd for Stevie because he performs and Bryce underperforms we only are on hook for a 4th….right??

BTW…loved our draft. Loved the aggressiveness of Whaley. It was very refreshing and sent a jolt of excitement in the fan base. Even if it doesn’t pan out I’m still glad he was aggressive. When u r 6-10 forever and u keep the same draft approach its by definition insane. Everyone is saying playoffs or bust. Honestly if we go 9-7 and EJ looks like he takes steps fwd…I will see this season as a success. Looking fwd to getting out of this 6-10 rut!
Thanks for your time and go Bills!
Tim
NJ

CB: Here’s the easiest way to look at it. If the compensation from the 49ers remains a fourth in 2015, it goes to the Eagles. If Stevie Johnson hits undisclosed performance benchmarks and improves Buffalo’s conditional pick from San Francisco to a third, then the fourth-round pick the Bills owe the Eagles would push forward to the 2016 draft, since they would not have a fourth-round pick to give Philadelphia in 2015.

Bills fans should root for Stevie to do well in San Francisco this season. If he excels Buffalo will have seven picks in 2015 (a 2nd, two 3rds, two 5ths, a 6th and a 7th).

4 – Chris,

Thanks for all your news that you provide to Bills fans outside of the Buffalo area.

My question is regarding the off-season training of EJ, while not at the Bills facility. Knowing that OC Hackett, scaled back the offense last year; is there anything that EJ is doing during the off-season to get a much better understanding of the playbook?? or is EJ just working on his mechanic’s ?? Seems like a little waste of time, if EJ is not in some way learning a bit more of the playbook during this down time.

Thanks
Don Busching
Norwalk, VT

CB: EJ has been diligently working on every aspect of his game. That includes mechanics (footwork, deep throws), playbook and working with teammates having worked with some out in California this offseason on their own. I’m confident people are going to see a different EJ on the field this year.

5 – Hi Chris,

Russ Brandon and Doug Whaley are always quoted as saying that they will “do whatever it takes to make the Buffalo Bills a better football team.”

With that understanding, how does trading away Stevie Johnson (1,000 yard/season, 26 TDs, veteran WR, one more weapon for EJ Manuel) make the Buffalo Bills a better football team?

At the very least, Stevie would draw coverage away from Sammy Watkins!

This is such a typical move for the Bills–make progress with the drafting of Sammy Watkins, trade away good talent in Stevie. It’s similar to the Marshawn Lynch trade. Draft CJ Spiller, trade away pro-bowler Marshawn. I just don’t understand. What are the Bills not telling us? On paper these moves make no sense.

Please help me, and many Bills fans, have a better understanding. PLEASE no “company line” answer.

Michael Mirras
Discouraged Season Ticket Holder

CB: On the field here’s is why the move was made. Buffalo acquired Mike Williams by trade, a true outside receiving threat with proven touchdown production. They traded up to get the best receiver in the draft in Sammy Watkins, another true outside threat. Williams will draw attention from Watkins.

Perhaps even more important Robert Woods is a receiver this coaching staff believes in a lot. There was more than one assistant who believed by the end of last season that he would be the best receiver on the roster. That dynamic changed with Williams and Watkins added to the roster. In order to help Woods flourish in the current corps of receivers Stevie had to be moved from the slot receiver role so Woods could fill it.

It’s believed that Woods can be an even more productive receiver in the slot. Right now he has the most chemistry with EJ Manuel as OTAs are set to begin. What’s more his precise route running provides more consistency for a quarterback looking to take the next step in his on field performance than the unconventional route running of Johnson.

As Doug Whaley has said the aim this year is to help EJ Manuel take the next step in his development as a franchise quarterback. Providing him with the most dynamic receiver in the draft and a proven scorer in Mike Williams, both of whom can high point the ball as well as anyone, and then a reliable receiver in the slot in Woods they believe will enhance Manuel’s chances of succeeding.

In essence it was a bit of musical chairs and when all the moves were completed at the receiver position Johnson did not have an available seat. He would’ve been the team’s fourth receiver at a hefty price tag moving forward.

There was a lot of talk at the spring league meetings in Atlanta about Buffalo’s stadium situation long term. Commissioner Roger Goodell weighed in on the topic as well as Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon.

A day before the Bills announced they had hired financial and legal advisors to begin the sale process of the club, Goodell reiterated his stance that a new stadium would be best for the team’s long term viability in Western New York.

“I believe a stadium is important to the franchise long term to continue to be successful in Western New York,” said Goodell. “But it is a long-term issue. We have a short-term issue. They are making improvements to the stadium and I think those are positive in the short term. But we all know this lease is 10 years and we have to look well beyond that for this franchise to continue to be successful in western New York.”

“That’s part of the deliverables of going through the studies,” said Brandon. “Obviously you can look at different markets. Kansas City went through a major retro-fit. Green Bay at Lambeau, they went through a major retro-fit. And then you look at new buildings like Minnesota and Atlanta and some of the new stadiums that have come on stream over the last few years. I think that’s our responsibility to deliver to the league what we think makes sense and what we can deliver from a revenue standpoint.”

Brandon said the new stadium working group will likely meet again at Bills training camp.

Bills GM Doug Whaley, President & CEO Russ Brandon and Director of Player Personnel Jim Monos were all texting a fair amount during the draft. It was most noticeable on day 1 and less so on days 2 and 3. Whaley confirmed for Buffalobills.com that they were staying in touch with other NFL clubs.

“You’re texting because it’s a faster and more efficient way just to make contact with people, especially in the draft room where things can get a little hectic, there might be a phone ringing,” said Whaley. “So it’s just as easy.”

At the start of the draft there was a lot of texting with other teams ahead of them at ninth overall.

“We were making contact with teams ahead of Cleveland just to see what they were thinking,” said Whaley.

Monos, Brandon and Whaley were each assigned different clubs to stay in touch with during round one.

“With that many teams you want to delegate different guys to talk to different teams so you’re not mixing up your information,” Whaley said. “That’s where mistakes can happen.”

The draft is next Thursday (finally). Here are some of your latest questions from email at AskChris@bills.nfl.net about the draft and other topics concerning the Bills. Be sure to follow our wall to wall draft coverage on Buffalobills.com and live on the @johnmurphyshow, which can be found on the Bills app or locally on WGR Sportsradio 550.

1 - Hey Chris,

In my opinion, Coach Marrone’s biggest mistake in year one was not having an experienced NFL quarterback on the roster to fill in for EJ. Boy, did the Bills ever pay for that oversight. How, then, is it possible that Doug Whaley has NO PLANS to sign a veteran QB for 2014? Can you shed some light on the thinking at One Bills Drive? Because it sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

Also, something I thought to be a no-brainer now looks as though it’s not going to happen……Why haven’t the Bills signed Jim Leonhard?!?

Thanks for everything,

Kenny in IndianaCB: I would argue that it was not an oversight. They had Kevin Kolb on the roster. He was supposed to be EJ’s backup, but a preseason concussion landed him on injured reserve two weeks before the season started. The free agent market was a barren landscape of quarterback talent. Fortunately they swung a trade to land Thad Lewis, who is a player the front office and coaching staff is very high on as a backup.

He is the reason why they chose not to pursue a veteran free agent option. He’s had a year in the system and he and EJ now have a full time quarterback coach, who by the way worked previously with both of them (EJ at the Senior Bowl, Thad in Detroit).

As for Leonhard my only guess is he was seen as an ideal fit in a new defensive system last year that he was wholeheartedly familiar with and could teach to the younger players. Now with the scheme change he may not be seen as quite the same fit.

2 – Hi Chris,

The transition from Buddy Nix to Doug Whaley has seemed to go very smoothly.

My question is about Doug Whaley’s basic draft philosophy. Buddy Nix was on record saying he didn’t like to move in the draft, whether it was up or down.

I would love to see the Bills move down in the 1st round this year, pending a dance partner, to get more pick(s). There appears to be a lot of talent in the 2nd & 3rd rounds. Do you think Doug Whaley will be more proactive to move down in the draft than Buddy?

P.S. I hope 2014 is the year you get to report about more wins than losses!
Trade Down Tim

CB: I do think that Whaley is more aggressive by nature to make a deal. He was very honest about keeping all options open with their pick at nine. That includes trading up, which I think is a distinct possibility. We’ll see what happens, but at the pre-draft press conference I was encouraged by this comment from Buffalo’s GM.

“If you have a calculated system, and you use that approach, and the deal makes sense, and you see hey, we can move down to this point and still get a guy that we’re excited about, pick up another pick, then don’t be afraid to make the deal,” Whaley said.3 – Chris,

I saw a rumor going around on nfl.com saying that Houston is “trying very hard to move down to acquire draft selections” and that Buffalo is a potential trade partner. I would like this move and I hope Buffalo goes for the #1 pick. I would love to see them pick up Greg Robinson or Sammy Watkins. Do you think this is a good possibility? Who do you think they would be chasing after to give up picks to make sure they land?

Thanks,

Alec……..Adams, NY

CB: I tend to doubt the Bills will move up to the top spot. Even the Bills at nine would have to give up an awful lot to make that happen. That being said I do think that moving up to a spot between 4 and 6 is a possibility if the right player is still on the board for them. There’s no way to gauge the likelihood of that happening because there’s no way to tell whether the compensation offered will be accepted for such a move to occur. I do think if the right talent is sitting there on the board Buffalo will at least make an attempt to make something happen.

4 – Hi Chris,

With the passing of Mr. Wilson how will this affect spending for the organization in the coming months? Certainly, the staff had a license to spend when he was alive but given that his estate needing to be settled, was a plan put into place so the day to day and free agent spending would not have cash limits. I just wonder when a player needs to be paid millions of dollars to sign who writes that check now?

Thanks,
Chris Z.

CB: As team President and CEO Russ Brandon and GM Doug Whaley said at the pre-draft press conference their operations as a football club are unaffected moving forward. Here are their direct quotes.

Doug Whaley – “The ownership situation has no bearing on us trying to win football games.”

Russ Brandon – “In regards to the ownership transition, it’s business as usual in every facet of our operation.”

5 – Chris,

Does Austin Seferian-Jenkins fit what the Bills are looking for in an athletic tight end? Does he have the speed to be a juke type of tight end? I think he’s the second best tight end beside Ebron. Is he a viable candidate in round 2?CB: He is a round two prospect so I suppose he is an option if Ebron isn’t the pick in round one, but I just don’t see him as a fit for Buffalo. He is a giant man, but he does not have the athleticism of Ebron. Apparently no one else does in the class at the position either. Seferian-Jenkins has above average athleticism for a tight end his size (6’5 ½” 262), but there are work ethic questions about him and some off the field issues. There’s not a lot of wiggle to him after the catch as he generally tries to run through defenders. He’s still a work in progress when it comes to blocking.

They were just getting to know one another at the initial meeting of the three parties representing the state, Erie county and the Bills as part of the Stadium Advisory Committee, and right away all three arms of the group agreed on the amount of time it will take to reach a conclusion on what they’ve been assembled to accomplish.

“This will be a process. It will be a long process,” said Bills President & CEO Russ Brandon, who will serve as one of the co-chairs of the committee. “There is a lot of work that needs to be done, but I know that our group is up to the task and look forward to working with everyone in the future.”

“It’s an advisory committee which will be making recommendations based on the accumulation of information that’s going to take some time,” said Erie Count Executive Mark Poloncarz, also a co-chair. “I agree with Russ it’s not going to be a short process. I wouldn’t be shocked if it lasted a few years. We want to make certain when the recommendations are made, that we’ve looked under every stone and did everything possible to ask the right questions of the community and ourselves so that we know we’re doing the right plan to keep the team here long term.”

“Everybody understands the seriousness of this process,” said Lt. Governor Bob Duffy, the third co-chair. “I believe we have the right people at the table from all three entities and the people we have put on our teams. This is the first of many, many meetings. A lot of work to be done. We know what all of our goals are, but we can’t predict the future. We just have to follow the process and work and I think it was a great first step.”

It’s the Super Bowl of lobby watching–day one of the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Florida.

BuffaloBills.com is here with complete coverage of the three day event and we’ll be broadcasting The John Murphy Show live from the meetings tonight and Wednesday night.

NFL personnel have gathered in the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes Hotel in Orlando for day one of the sessions. The entire group, coaches, GMs, and top level club executives, held a meeting in one ballroom at 830 Monday morning, and then the group broke up around 10am. Head Coaches, GMs, and other football personnel went to a Football Operations session at mid morning. Later today, the NFL Competition Committee, chaired by Rich McKay, will hold a news conference to discuss some of the propsals on the table.

The Bills are represented here by President and CEO Russ Brandon, General Manager Doug Whaley, the club’s Executive Vice President for Strategic Planning, Mary Owen, the Senior Vice President of Football Administration, Jim Overdorf, and Head Coach Doug Marrone.

As of noon on Monday, the media gathered here at the Ritz Carlton have spent the day loitering outside the meeting rooms, taking video and pictures of NFL luminaries going from meeting room to meeting room, and waiting for the morning meetings to recess so that we can talk to the principals. We expect things to pick up shortly.

NFL free agency is fast approaching as teams can begin negotiating with agents for unrestricted players as early as Saturday with signings permissible Tuesday at 4 pm. Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon addressed the level of involvement the team will have when the market opens.

“We’ll be active in free agency,” Brandon said. “We have a master plan on everything related to our current roster and going into free agency. And that starts right at the conclusion of the season from the Senior Bowl to the Combine and obviously there are pro days throughout the country over the next month. Our scouts and Doug (Whaley) and our player personnel people will be all over doing that. We have a plan going into free agency and a master plan tied into the entire roster.”

At the same time GM Doug Whaley has said repeatedly that they will not be pursuing “big splash” players. Whaley said they will pursue players of value not unlike the ones they picked up last offseason like Manny Lawson and Alan Branch.

Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon thought it was ridiculous to even question how it functions, but when asked how personnel and contract values are set in Buffalo’s front office, he provided an in depth answer to eliminate any doubt as to how things trickle down from GM Doug Whaley when it comes to football and salary cap decisions.

“I have great belief in our structure, and let me be real clear about this,” said Brandon. “When Doug Whaley was brought in as general manager he was given sole responsibility for the 53-man roster and the value equation on each player. So the composition of the roster and the value on players are totally his responsibility. So he directs the ceiling on each negotiation and he has full salary cap at his disposal and he’s empowered to deploy it as he sees fit.

“My belief is the general manager position is all about personnel and all about player acquisition. (Senior VP of Football Administration) Jim Overdorf is our lead negotiator on each contract. He takes his direction from the GM chair. He is one of the most respected individuals at his craft in this business.

“Every team has a lead negotiator. Jim and I and (Player Personnel Analyst) Kevin Meganck and Doug Whaley sits in on that as well. Quite frankly I don’t want Doug worried about which legal clause to put in a contract when he’s at a pro day, which he is (doing now). But make no mistake he sets the ceiling on each player and how the composition of the roster looks.

“I will tell you this, this organization has never been in more lock step. To offer any other commentary on that is really nonsense and sophomoric in my opinion.”

Bills President and CEO Russ Brandon announced Wednesday that the Bills Toronto Series would be postponed for the 2014 season with all eight home games to be played at Ralph Wilson Stadium. When asked if the atmosphere of the Atlanta game last December, which sounded neutral at best, had an impact on the decision Brandon admitted it played a role.

“I think that’s a fair comment,” Brandon said. “Obviously we’re trying to build a fan base north of the border and this year I would say it was a neutral crowd. Some of that had to do with how we played over the last six years has really not been conducive to building a lot of fans that were NFL fans, but we’re trying to make them Bills fans.

“We’re going to continue to try to do that through a variety of initiatives that we will be working with Rogers over the next year in a very robust sponsorship and partnership that we will have that will cater to fans above the border.”

Brandon was asked if the interrupting of the series would include 2015 as well. The Bills President and CEO said an evaluation needs to take place about where to go from here.

“We’re going to go through a detailed full analysis. Most of our analysis that we’ve been through over the past few months has been more top line,” he said. “We’re going to look at every aspect that if we do come back we have a more robust fan experience and try to create more of a home field advantage for us. Right now that was not the situation. That was one of the reasons we want to get in to a lot of detail with our partners up there and see if that is viable moving forward.”